Nunobiki Falls

Nunobiki Falls is a set of four waterfalls on the Minato River, a short hike above Shin-Kobe station. The falls are beautiful and surprisingly wild-feeling given that they are within twenty minutes' walk of central Kobe. A trail leads up through the forest past all four cascades to the Nunobiki reservoir, a peaceful artificial lake built in 1905 and still used as a city water supply.

The walk from Shin-Kobe station takes about 15–20 minutes at a gentle pace. The main fall — O-taki — drops about 43 metres and is the most photogenic. The path continues past the falls to the ropeway station at Nunobiki Herb Garden, making it possible to walk up and ride down or combine the falls with the herb garden above.

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A story
Nunobiki Falls is one of Japan's three great waterfalls as listed in classical poetry — the others are Nachi Falls in Wakayama and Kegon Falls at Nikko. The falls are mentioned in the Manyoshu, Japan's oldest poetry anthology, which dates to the 8th century, making this one of the most continuously celebrated natural sites in the country. And yet most visitors to Kobe never make it up the hill.